


Traitorous Heart

by floatingpetals



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bucky's shy, F/M, Fluff, Pining, he's not subtle either, mentions of injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 16:19:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16836175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floatingpetals/pseuds/floatingpetals
Summary: Try as one might, sometimes you’re heart betrays your mind. Only this wasn’t exactly how he’d imagine his heart would give up his biggest (and not so subtle) secret.





	Traitorous Heart

“Bucky, I swear to God, if you don’t get your ass into the medical bay for your check, I’m going to drag you by the ear.”

Bucky sheepishly hid his face in his book where he sat in the common room, the tips of his ears turning red from Natasha’s growl. She stood on the other side of the coffee table with her fist on her hips, her face pulled into a thin line. Trying with all his might, he had attempted to ignore her, but Natasha had a way of making people uncomfortable with her glare. Maybe it was the fact that she could and usually did carry out her threats.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He mumbled, pretending to stare at the tiny font in the book. Perhaps if he ignored her, she’d go away. From the strained silence in the room, Bucky figured he had less than thirty seconds before she snapped. He dared a glance the blood draining from his face. Natasha was glaring daggers, her eyebrow twitched, and he swore he saw her fists clench tighter on her hips.

“Why? What has possessed you to suddenly not want anything to do with the medical bay?” she snapped at her wit’s end. She had been trying to get him to go in for the past four weeks for his annual checkup. Everyone had to get them done to be allowed on missions. Bucky’s currently on suspension because his check up was due two weeks ago. No amount of nagging from Steve, Natasha or even Sam could get him down there.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go get the stupid checkup done so people would stop irritating him, Bucky didn’t mind the doctors they had in the compound. It was someone else he couldn’t really face that was there.

Little under three months ago, Dr. Cho decided to hire a new nurse to replace the one that had gone on maternity leave. The whole team knew the small medical team, so when they got word of new nurse that would be there in the hanger to keep them alive if they needed it, the team went down and introduced themselves.

The second Bucky laid eyes on the nurse-Y/N, the air left his lungs and his heart started pounding in his chest. She smiled warmly to the team, clearly nervous but excited for this new chapter in her life. She was sweet with a good mix of sarcasm that rivaled Clint’s, a feat the archer was impressed with.

Going through the group, she shook hands with everyone while they introduced themselves, that beautiful smile never faltering. When it was Bucky’s turn, he choked. For some reason, he couldn’t form words, lost in her eyes as she stared at him expectantly. When she cocked her head to the side at his silence, he had to clear his throat and let out a very high pitched squeak of his name. The team chuckled, Steve grinning widely at his best friend knowing exactly what was going through Bucky’s head. Clint and Natasha both smirked and Tony had to be pulled away by Wanda to keep his tongue in check. Sam snorted and stepped away after Steve glared at him over his shoulder. The only one who hadn’t figured out his sudden bashfulness was Y/N herself.

Ever since then, Bucky not only stumbled over his words around her, the team made a point to tease him about his not so subtle crush any chance they could. More than once he’d have to shush them, blushing madly at the cheeky grins and ill-concealed motions to finally step up and ask her out. Bucky thought he was doing a good job keeping it hidden, despite the teams best effort to ruin that. He just wasn’t ready to make any moves, wanting to get to know her first. But it didn’t stop his heart from ache when he was away from her, or hammer in his ears when he was with her. 

Things were going so well. At least it was until four weeks ago when his poorly concealed secret was found out.

It was a simple mission that went bad, quickly. They got bad information, he and Natasha were only supposed to do a simple retrieval mission. There wasn’t supposed to be so many agents, and they certainly weren’t supposed to have guns. Bucky took two bullets, one to the shoulder and another that grazed his lower neck. It wasn’t as severe as it looked, the neck wound just a flesh wound that would heal fast. Natasha got the bullet out before it could close when they finally made it back to the jet, raging that their information was wrong and someone got hurt. She deemed him fine, the bullet wound already healing as she worked thanks to the serum. However, when they landed a few hours later, Y/N was there with a medkit in hand and in nurse mode.

She ignored him when he said he was fine and with surprising superhuman strength forced him to sit in a chair she had set up to dress his wounds. He bit his tongue when Natasha chuckled at his astonishment and left him to fend for himself in the hanger. Y/N paid the redhead no mind and with expert precision, she stitched the still fresh wound before she switched to check his neck. She clicked her tongue, a frown spreading across her face.

“Any more to the left or right and it would have nicked an artery or vein. I doubt you would have survived the ride back, superhuman or not.” She muttered, worry laced in her voice. 

Bucky couldn’t help but watch her face, desperately wanting nothing more than to wipe the fear off her face. He was fine, he wanted to say, he made it. She didn’t have to worry about him. He hadn’t realized his heart rate had begun to spike, already thumping hard at how close she was. Y/n had sat closely by his side, her thighs gently touching his own as a solid reminder she was actually there. He tried not to focus on the way her hand gently cupped the other side of his neck, her touch tender and soothing. At least it would have been if he wasn’t completely enamored by her. All it really did was send him into a tailspin he tried to conceal. But he couldn’t control the rate of his heartbeat, no matter how much he willed it to calm.

Y/N paused, feeling his the increased thump against her palm. She leaned back, her eyes searching with concerned for a reason that would cause a sudden spike. When she reached his face, she stopped abruptly. He had melted into her touch and was watching her with unrestrained affection. Instantly, his odd behavior over the past few months started to make sense. And if she was being completely honest, she was feeling a little of the same too. Y/N simply didn’t know if he felt the same. A slow smirk started to spread on her lips, startling Bucky.

“Your uh, heart’s beating a little fast now.” She giggled and sat back. “But I think you’ll be alright.”

It took one look at her face for Bucky to realized she figured out his not so little crush. Yep, she knew. Like clockwork, his cheek exploded bright red. Y/N giggled again, ready to tell calm his nerves, but he had already shot up from his seat.

“I uh-I gotta-yeah.” He fumbled and high tailed it out of the room without another glance back. Y/N mouth fell open in shock at his retreating form, left alone in the empty hanger.

That was why Bucky couldn’t go back to the medical bay, not if Y/N was there. He made an absolute idiot of himself and there was no coming back from his embarrassing exit. Finally relenting(secretly he knew Natasha would figure it out eventually if she hadn’t already), Bucky gave up his horrible memory and excuse he’d been keeping to himself for the past few weeks. Natasha wasn’t slightly impressed.

“Bucky.” Natasha groaned in exasperation. She had stepped around the coffee table to pull him off the couch. “You have to go get your physical if you want to go out on missions. I promise you, she doesn’t think you’re an idiot. Just go get it done, and don’t come back without a date.”

Bucky shot her a startled look over his shoulder, she couldn’t be serious right?

“Yes, I’m serious. Go, now.” Natasha waved, grinning at him when she shoved him into the elevator.

“Wait a minute-.” He started to argue, but the door was already shutting before he could counter her with an argument. FRIDAY seemed in on the plan, he didn’t have to hit any buttons as it descended to the floor of the medical bay. Bucky’s stomach was in knots, the nerves causing palms sweaty at his sides.

‘This was stupid,’ He thought. ‘I’m a trained assassin who can kill somebody with my pinky. I shouldn’t be scared of asking someone out.’

He thought he steeled his nerves, he thought his little pep talk was enough. Even when the elevator slowed to a stop, and the ding echoed in the little box, Bucky had a new-found determination that didn’t waver.

Then the door slid open and he was caught off guard by a breathtaking crooked smile on the other side. Just like that, all his confidence shot out of his body. Next, there was the soft giggle that caused his heart to explode in his chest and his mouth to run dry.

“I was wondering when you’d man up and come to see me.”


End file.
